The family of Dajerria Becton, who was 15 years old back in 2015 when she was captured on video getting wrestled to the ground by then-McKinney, Texas, Police Officer Eric Casebolt, has reached a settlement with the officer and the city of McKinney in a federal lawsuit.
via Star-Telegram:
The statement said all claims against then-Officer Eric Casebolt and the city of McKinney will be dismissed. Under the terms of the settlement, the plaintiffs and their attorneys will be paid $184,850 by the self-insurance risk pool for the city of McKinney, with $148,850 going to Dajerria Becton, the 15-year-old shown in the video.
“While the events precipitating this case are regrettable,” the statement said, “the City of McKinney and the McKinney Police Department would like to express their thanks to the community for its commitment to inclusiveness, order, and unity. “
Becton’s family had filed a $5 million federal lawsuit against Casebolt after the 2015 incident at the Craig Ranch North subdivision in southwest McKinney, accusing him of using excessive force.
Cellphone videos taken by people at the scene showed Casebolt, who is white and later resigned from the police force, running after black teens and ordering them to the ground as he tried to break up the pool party, then forcing Becton onto her stomach on the ground and placing his knees on her back.
Casebolt was one of a dozen officers who responded to the 911 disturbance calls at the pool, where an estimated 100 teens were celebrating the end of the school year.
The McKinney police chief later called Casebolt’s actions at the pool “indefensible.”
Hopefully now Dajerria and her family can put this horrific incident behind them.
